The present invention relates to a photographing box which includes a photographing mechanism for taking the steps of photographing an object such as a figure, perform the necessary processing of the video signal, and print out the picture according to the charges given by a user, end a thermal transfer recording apparatus which is intended to be used as one of several possible ways to the Automatic photographing boxes.
It has been, conventionally known an instant photographing system such as a silver photo system or a diffusing transfer type silver photo system as means for outputing a printed picture after about only a few minutes. The silver photo system needs a few minutes consumed from the end of the photographing to the output of the printed photo and to provide a developing solution and a fixing solution for wet processing. The system therefore has to do a troublesome operation of exchanging the solutions and maintaining the relevant equipment. Further, since the atmospheric temperature is greatly effects the image quality, the temperatures of the solutions are required to be minutely controlled. The diffusing transfer type silver photographing system needs to do a very costly running process.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographing box which provides a sublimation transfer system and operates to output a printed image within about one or two minutes and to be maintained easily and at low cost.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a monitoring mechanism for the thermal transfer recording which operates to automatically detect trouble in a thermal transfer printer or a system having the thermal transfer printer and give a report about the sensed result.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer recording apparatus which enables to prevent any defective print or failure caused by the adverse effect of paper dust brought about when cutting a dye transfer sheet or dirt intruded from the outside.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic layout mechanism for thermal transfer recording which is arranged to detect if an abnormal state occurs in a thermal head of the thermal transfer printer and obtain a desired recording image if it is sensed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer printer which enables to prevent disability of printing caused in an out-of-paper state.
In carrying out the above objects, the present invention is arranged as follows.
According to a first aspect of the invention, an automatic photographing box includes a photographing mechanism house for housing a photographing mechanism and a photographing space, the photographing mechanism having means for lighting an object, means for photographing the object illuminated by the lighting means, image processing means for receiving an object image signal from the photographing means and having at least a magnifying or reducing function and an image layouting function, a sublimation transfer printer for receiving a processed image signal and printing the image on the image data signal, and control means for controlling the lighting means, photographing means, image processing means and sublimation transfer printer.
This invention further provides a monitor for displaying an image of an object to be imaged
This invention further provides a money handling mechanism and is arranged to generate a start signal from the money handling mechanism.
The photographing box according to the present invention uses a photographing device ouch as a video camera or a still video camera or a leased photographing device and activates the photographing mechanism to image an object, do an image magnification or layout the image of the object, and output plural images on a sheet, each image sized to each way of use such as a license or a passport from the sublimation transfer printer if a user pays for it by any method like cash or a pre-paid card. The photographing box uses the dry process and the heat-sensitive sublimation printer. Hence, it enables to quickly print out the photograph and may be made less costly. Further, the photographing box provides a monitor so that the image may be checked before printing it out and be imaged again.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a thermal transfer printer for the photographing box providing means for feeding a dye transfer sheet and an image receiving sheet, a thermal head for pressing the dye transfer sheet and the thermal transfer sheet being fed on a head surface by a platen roller, activating plural heating resistors according to the image date, and recording the image on the image receiving sheet, and a thermal head drive control means for transferring image data to the thermal head, includes:
resistance measuring means and resistance abnormality determining means for measuring a resistance of heating resistors of the thermal head, comparing the measured resistance value with the predetermined reference value and the resistance values of the adjacent heating resitors of the thermal heads with each other, determining if the resistance value is abnormal based on the compared result;
means for sensing printing defects;
means for sensing if jamming of the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet takes place by sensing rotation of a feed roll of the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet or rotation of the platen roller;
a micro switch located close to the feeding path of the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet and sensing if the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet is out by the micro switch,
means for sensing if the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet is out by sensing the feed roll of the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet or the rotation of the platen roller;
means for sensing the number of left images or used images on the dye transfer sheet, a protective layer transfer sheet, and the image receiving sheet.
This invention provides a photographing mechanism located in the photographing box and having means for lighting an object to be imaged, means for photographing the object illuminated by the lighting means, image processing image for receiving an image signal of the object generated by the photographing means, a thermal transfer printer for receiving an image signal and printing out the image based on the image signal, a money handling mechanism, and control means for controlling the lighting means, photographing means, image processing means, and thermal transfer printer based on a start signal sent from the money handling mechanism, the photographing mechanism including means for sensing the state of the photographing mechanism and means for notifying the sensed result, the sensing means being composed of one or more of means for measuring a resistance of the thermal head, means for sensing a pattern in the printing direction, means for sensing if the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet is out or jammed, means for sensing the number of left images or used images on the dye transfer sheet, the transparent projective layer transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet, means for sensing if the lighting means is burnt out, or means for sensing if changes are out in the money handling mechanism.
This invention is arranged to constantly or occasionally monitor troubles such as an abnormal increase of a resistance or breaking of heating resistors breaking of the thermal head of the thermal transfer printer, an abnormality of the printer like heat resistor breaking of thermal head, out of paper, out of film, jamming, out of changes if the printer applies to the photographing box, or burnt-out of a lighting lamp, and automatically senses such a trouble, if any trouble takes place, and report it to a remote place at a time when such a trouble takes place or periodically. If lots of pieces of information of the photographing boxes located in plural places are allowed to be collected at a business base station, it is possible to take a swift response to any failure or a proper measure to the sensed trouble.
Further, based on the periodical report about the operating condition of each photographing box, each photographing box is allowed to be minutely treated.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a thermal transfer recording apparatus located in the photographing box is composed of means for conveying a dye transfer sheet, means for conveying an image receiving sheet, a printing mechanism including a platen roller and a thermal head for heating plural heating resistors so as to form an image on the image receiving sheet, thus pressing the dye transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet between the platen roller and the thermal head so as to transfer a dye of a color layers provided on the dye transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet, a thermal head driving means for transferring the image data to the thermal heed, and a sheet cutter for cutting the image receiving sheet at predetermined intervals. The thermal transfer recording apparatus is arranged to separate the sheet-cut portion from the image recording section by the partition provided with a slit through which the image receiving sheet is passed and to prevent dirt from being intruded from the sheet cut portion.
The thermal transfer recording apparatus arranged as above operates to prevent intrusion of paper dust brought about when cutting the image-printed image receiving sheet through the effect of the petition. Since the image recording section is structured to prevent dirt, it is possible to prevent the intrusion of the dirt from the outside to the image recording section.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the thermal transfer printer composed of means for feeding a dye transfer sheet, means for feeding an image receiving sheet, a printing mechanism including a platen roller and a thermal head for heating plural heating resistors so as to form an image on the image receiving sheet, thus pressing the dye transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet between the platen roller and the thermal head so as to trusser a dye of a color layers provided on the dye transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet, and a thermal head drive means for at least a platen roller, and a thermal head for recording the image on the image receiving sheet by heating plural heating resistors according to the image data on the image receiving sheet, and further providing a printing mechanism for pressing the dye transfer sheet transferring the image data to the thermal head, an automatic layout mechanism for the photographing box is characterized by providing means for sensing if each heating resistor of the thermal head is abnormal so as to, if the abnormality is sensed, change a printing location of the image so that a desired image may be recorded by only a proper heating resistor.
The automatic layout mechanism arranged as above operates to change the printing location of an image in order to prevent the image printed by the heating resistors if one or more of the heating resistors of the thermal head has a larger resistance or ere broken. Hence, after an abnormality takes place, the automatic layout mechanism enables to record a desired image with no change of density and no printing voids
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the thermal transfer printer for the photographing box providing an image recording section having means for feeding a dye transfer sheet to be loaded, means for feeding e image receiving sheet to be loaded, a platen roller located on the way of the feeding path of the dye transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet, and a thermal head for pressing the dye transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet being fed on the surface of the platen roller, activating plural heating resistors according to the image data and recording an image on the image receiving sheet, the printer is characterized by allowing plural heat transfer sheets and heated transfer sheets to be respectively loaded, providing means for sensing if at least one of the dye transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet is out and means for automatically exchanging the dye transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet based on this sensed result.
The thermal transfer printer arranged as above operates to detect if the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet is out and automatically exchange the dye transfer sheet or the image receiving sheet with the new one.
According to a further aspect of the invention, in the thermal transfer printer providing a image recording section having means for feeding a thermal transfer sheet to be loaded, means for feeding a image receiving sheet to be loaded, a platen roller located on the way of the feeding path of the thermal transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet, and a thermal head for pressing the thermal transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet being fed on the surface of the platen roller, activating plural heating resistors according to the image data and recording an image on the image receiving sheet.